Bacalao al Pil Pil
A Basque salt-cod dish named for the sizzling 'pil-pil' sound of the pot as it's gently shaken. Desalted cod is poached very slowly, skin-side down, in olive oil with garlic and dried chile at low heat, then the pan is swirled continuously so the gelatin released from the fish's skin emulsifies the oil into a thick, pale sauce — no flour, cream, or egg is ever used, and the technique is the entire point of the dish.
Seafood
⚠ Contains: Fish. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 800g salt cod, skin-on, desalted
- 300ml mild Spanish olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 dried guindilla chiles (or 1 small dried red chile)
Steps
- Desalt the cod in cold water in the fridge, changing the water every 6–8 hours for 1–2 days.
- Pat the cod dry. Gently heat the olive oil with sliced garlic and chile until the garlic is golden, then remove and reserve them.
- Lower the heat and add the cod skin-side down, poaching very gently 5–8 minutes per side until just cooked.
- Remove the cod and keep warm. Off heat, tilt and swirl the pan continuously in a circular motion so the released gelatin emulsifies the oil into a thick sauce.
- Return the cod to the pan to coat, top with the reserved garlic and chile, and serve immediately.